Former UK Prime Minister turned JPMorgan adviser, Tony Blair.

Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has agreed to become a part-time adviser to the global financial services firm JPMorgan Chase where, the Financial Times reports, he "will use his experience and contacts to provide political and strategic advice to the US bank and participate in some client events." Blair resigned as leader of the parliamentary wing of British Labor Party in June 2007. While the fee for the position has not been disclosed, a New York recruitment firm suggested that it "was likely to be more than $1m (£500,000) a year." Blair stated that he was looking at accepting "a small handful" of similar positions with other companies. "I have always been interested in commerce and the impact of globalisation. Nowadays, the intersection between politics and the economy in different parts of the world, including the emerging markets, is very strong," he said.

The role of the PR firm Hill & Knowlton (H&K) in polishing the image of the authoritarian government of the Maldives has become the centerpoint of a controversy between the former Foreign Minister, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, and the current Information Minister, Mohamed Nasheed. In a blog post, Nasheed claimed that the reason that Shaheed resigned ahead of a motion of no confidence in August 2007 was that documents relating to the PR company's work were in the hands of the Foreign Minister's critics. In response, Shaheed stated that "it is total rubbish that Nasheed is saying he knows nothing about Hill & Knowlton. He twice met them in my presence." H&K's lead consultant on the account, Tim Fallon, is saying nothing. It appears that Fallon, who posted a blog in October 2006 defending his work for the regime, blogs no more.